Tightener for violin e strings



H. s. JACKMAN. TIGHTENER FOR VIOLIN E STRINGS.

APPLICATION FIL ED .IUIIE.I- I, I921- Patented 0m 24, 1922'.

momvzrs Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

UNITED STATES HARRY SUMNER JACKMAN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

TIGHTENER FOR VIOLIN E STRINGS.

Application filed June 11, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, HARRY SUMNER JACK- vMaw, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Tightener for Violin E Strings, of which the following is a description.

My invention is more particularly intended for embodiment in a tightener for the metal E string in musical instruments.

The general object of the invention is to provide a tightener of the indicated character improved in various particulars whereby it will possess distinctive characteristics and advantages among which are that,adirect pull is exerted on the string by the tightening device; the tightening of the string is effected in a manner to avoid any tendency of the tightener to throw the tail-piece of the instrument out of position; the tightener presents no members at the under side of the tail-piece of a character that would be liable to scratch or injure the belly of the instrument; and the important result is obtained that the mass of metal usual in tighteners of the indicated type is materially reduced and thereby the detrimental eifect of the tightener on the vibrations set up in the instrument when being played is greatly decreased.

The above and other advantages will appear by the novel construction hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a tightener embodying my invention showing the same in use in connection with a tail-piece and string shown in part;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33, Fig ure 2; v

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Figure 2;

In the drawings the letter A indicates an ordinary tail-piece; a the key hole slots therein and B a portion of an E string.

In carrying out my invention in accordance with the illustrated example a base plate 10 is provided of a size to overlie the tail-piece A at the hole a and has a tubular depending Serial No. 476,707.

stud 11 adapted to extend through the enlarged end of the hole a, said stud being externally threaded to receive a. nut 12 to bear against the under side of the tail-piece A and clamp the latter between said nut and base plate. The stud 11 is internally threaded also to receive an adjusting screw 13 having a milled head or the like for turning it.

A lever 14 is provided slightly arched for its major portion and formed with a longitudinal slot through which the screw 13 extends so that the head of the screw bears on top of said lever. At the forward end the lever 141 has hook 16 about which the string B is bent and at the same end beneath the hook 16, said lever 14 is formed with a depending cam 17 adapted to extend through a slot 18 in a lateral extension 10 of the base plate 10. Said. cam presents an oblique cam surface 17 at the under side adapted to bear against the forward wall of the slot 18 and the lower end of the cam terminates in a toe 19 projecting through the slot 18 to the under side of the base plate 10.

With the above described construction the lever 10 rests on top of the base plate between the same and the head 13 and upon pressure being applied to the lever by the turning of the screw the cam surface 17 in its engagement with the base 10 at the end of the slot 18 forces the lever longitudinally in its own plane thereby exerting a pull on t ie string B. If the screw be turned backward clear of the lever 14 or in fact if the screw be completely removed, the lever 14 will nevertheless retain its position in association with the base plate 10 as the weight of the lever will cause the cam 17 to drop through the slot 18 and position the toe 19 beneath the base plate directly adjacent to the tubular stud 11, thereby retaining the lever against complete displacement. A curved form is given to the lever 14 because the lever at one end moves more or less in a curved path, the center of which changes with the movement of the lever longitudinally in response to the engagement of the cam 17 with the base.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A tightener for musical strings comprising a base having a bore and an opening, an element having a curved under face to enge the wall of said opening posii'lioned on said base, a rew holding said element and in, position, a hoe-l member at one end off said element for connectii'ig thereto a string to be tightened, said element when subjected to pres by sail screw moving in a plane transverse to the axis of said bore.

2. A device oi? the class described including a base, means to secure the base in position, an element having means ifor connection with the string to be tightened and presenting a cam surface at the under side contacting with the base, and means to errert pressure on said element, said element being free to slide and nally under said pressure pull on the string.

3. A tightener for exerting a a string oi musical instruments including a base having a de pending tubular stud ad V to pass through a tail-piece and p o with a nut to bear against the tail-piece, said base presenting a slot, string-receiving element having a member extending into said slot and presenting a cam surface contacting with a Wall oi the slot, and a screw having to shift longitudithreaded engagement with said stud and adapted to exert pressure on said element.

l A tightener for a string of musical instruments including a base, means to clamp said base in position, said base having a slot, astring receiving element hav ing a cam extending into said slot and engaging said base, said cam terminating in a toe adapted to pass through the base the under side, and means to exert pressure on said element to force the cam there- 1 against the base for shifting said ele ment longitudinally.

5. A. tightener for a string on a musical instrument including a base plate formed wvith a slot, a string-engaging element having a cam member extending into saidslot and contracting with the base, said element having a longitudinal slot, and a s rew extending through the slot or" said element and engaging said base.

6. A. tightener for a musical instrument string, including a base presenting an opening, a lever of curved form resting on the base a; d engaging the wall of said opening, sa d lever having means to engagea string, means for pressing said lever against said base, said lever when pressed being slidable on the base in a path transverse to said pressure means, thereby exerting a pull on the string.

nee-er SUMNER JAOKMAN. 

